Banished
by Piper Emerald
Summary: Hatter couldn't read Jack's emotion, but he didn't seem angry. "Where are we?" The question sounded childish, for Jack knew exactly where they were, but Hatter could tell that he was holding on to the slim hope that something had gone wrong and they were still in Wonderland. Oneshot. (I own nothing.)


When Hatter hit the ground she didn't feel the pain that was expected after a fall from such height. It was as if she had merely tripped, not fallen through a world. She pulled herself to her feet, and saw Jack lying a few feet away from her.

She looked at the knife that was still in her hand and wondered if she should use it to end Jack's life. It's not like he didn't deserve to die after what he had done to her. She shook those thoughts from her head, knowing that she didn't have the heart to kill him.

Jack let out a soft groan and pulled himself to his feet as well. Hatter didn't move, she wasn't afraid that he would try to hurt her, she was afraid that he would want to talk to her. She knew that he would lord the fact that she had lost over her, but she didn't want to face the fact that she was stuck here. She didn't want to face reality.

"Hatter?" She couldn't read Jack's emotion, but he didn't seem angry. "Where are we?" The question sounded childish, for Jack knew exactly where they were, but Hatter could tell that he was holding on to the slim hope that something had gone wrong and they were still in Wonderland.

"The world beneath Wonderland", her voice was bitter. "Where do you think we are?"

"The world beneath Wonderland", he repeated sadly. "How did this happen?"

Hatter began to feel a dangerous rage come over her. "You decided that you wanted to save Alice", she had to fight to keep her voice steady. "You decided that you wanted to be the hero and ignore me when I warned you to stay out of it. You deiced to betray me, that's how it happened!" Jack took a few steps backward, and Hatter was glad that he knew enough to fear her anger.

"I didn't mean for that all to happen, but you can't blame everything on me." He said defensively.

"And why is that?" Hatter could tell by the tone of her own voice that, if Jack didn't already know her well, he would think her insane.

"You chose to target and innocent, and, even before Alice came along, none of your intentions were ever pure."

"Are you trying to lecture me for wanting to over throw The Queen?" Jack had more nerve that she had thought.

"You wanted to murder her so you could have her throne. How is that good?"

"There is no such thing as good or evil, there are those who win the battles and those who lose. The victors get to decide who is who."

"You're wrong", Jack said stubbornly. "Good won."

"Good left you banished in the middle of no where, and I expect Alice is waking up right now and going back to her dreary life as if nothing happened. The Queen is probably the only one who's happy right now. You see, in the end, it isn't good of evil that wins, but power."

"I'm sure you desperately want to believe that, but you know that you're wrong." Jack was grinning now. "Despite what you tell yourself, Alice won. She's back with her family, and she's happier than she's been in years."

"And she thinks you're nothing more than a dream."

"That was the point in us meeting. No matter how you look at things, the fact remains that Alice won and you lost."

Hatter wished she could think of a witty response to that, but there was nothing that she could say that would change what Jack had just stated.

"You don't understand", she whispered. "You don't know the pain I had to go through", Jack opened his mouth to protest, but Hatter raised a hand to silence him. "Everything always came easy to you. You don't know what it's like to doubt who you are, to be so lost that right becomes wrong. You were born lucky, but I was lucky to be born at all. I don't need luck, though. I don't want it. I've always had to struggle and fight, and that's made me strong. It's made me who I am." Hatter waited for Jack to tell her that she was wrong, that she still shouldn't have tried to hurt Alice.

"I'm sorry that life has been so hard on you", he said softly. "I'm sorry I helped Alice. I don't know why I let myself play the key role in your downfall, we were supposed to be friends."

"That was a long time ago", Hatter said sadly.

"I'm sorry for everything, will you forgive me?" Hatter could see a sadness in Jack's eyes that she had never expected to see in him of all people. He had always seemed so carefree and independent. It had always seemed like he didn't need to depend on anyone else, but maybe he just never had the chance to.

"Yes", she said, giving him the warm smile that she had almost thought she lost. "I guess I shouldn't blame you for being the idiot who couldn't stay out of my way."

"If the shoe fits", Jack said with a smile and Hatter laughed. "We'll find our way out of this mess, I promise."

Hatter nodded, but at the moment it didn't matter that she was stuck in the middle of nowhere. At least she wasn't alone. Not an hour ago, she had wished Jack was dead, but now she was glad that he was here with her.


End file.
